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Interview with Olivia Hayes, future star ballet dancer from Bucklebury




MUCH-loved by Newbury audiences, Ballet Central is back on tour with an exciting programme showcasing the extraordinary talent of Central School of Ballet’s graduating class of 2025, the future stars of dance. And this year’s dancers include Bucklebury’s very own Olivia Hayes - ‘This is where my dance journey began,’ she tells Arts Editor TRISH LEE

Liv Hayes https://www.allenova.co.uk/
Liv Hayes https://www.allenova.co.uk/

BRINGING fresh dance to national audiences for over 40 years, the Ballet Central tour will open at the Corn Exchange as part of Newbury Spring Festival on Thursday, May 22.

Thirty-eight rising stars from one of the world’s top ballet schools hit the stage with an electrifying mix of classical and cutting-edge dance. This year’s tour is a bold collision of heritage and innovation, perfect for first timers and dance lovers alike.

The programme includes Frederick Ashton’s Foyer de danse — a Degas painting brought to life for the first time in over 90 years and the unforgettable Keeping Up with the Apocalypse by Thick & Tight — featuring the Kardashians as the last species on Earth in a post-apocalyptic, hilariously bizarre future set to Nixon in China.

We spoke to Olivia - Liv - who attended St Andrew’s School for 10 years then moved to Pangbourne College to complete her GCSEs. She attended Allenova School of Dancing alongside school from the age of three, up until she moved to Central School of Ballet when she was 16.

Ballet Central (Olivia second from left)
Ballet Central (Olivia second from left)

When did you first attend ballet classes?

When I was three years old at Allenova School of Dancing in Thatcham. I was trained in ballet, contemporary, modern and tap and had the opportunity to perform in competitions such as The All England Dance Competition.

What is it about ballet that you love?

I love ballet because of the beauty and elegance that is found in it, alongside the athleticism that it also requires. I love how it allows me to become an artist with the way I dance, to perform different roles, as well as giving me the opportunity to express myself through the movement and share this with an audience.

Who are your ballet heroes?

Yasmine Naghdi has been my inspiration ever since I saw her perform as Aurora in The Sleeping Beauty. She dances with a beautiful sense of effortlessness yet commands the stage with such presence and emotional depth that she becomes the character entirely. She really draws the audience into the story with every movement, making her incredibly compelling to watch.

Keeping Up with the Apocalypse
Keeping Up with the Apocalypse

When did you decide you wanted to pursue a career of dancing?

At the age of 13. Dance quickly became more than just a passion to me and became an important part of who I am. I’ve dedicated myself fully to it, as I am drawn by the way it makes me feel. From that point on, I knew it was the path I wanted to follow.

You say getting a place at Central was your best dance moment – how did that feel?

I started the audition process for Central School of Ballet in October 2021 and progressed to the second round in December. Central was my number one choice of schools due to the positive and friendly environment I experienced when attending the auditions, so I remember feeling nervous. I received a call from Central on my birthday in March offering me a place and I remember feeling ecstatic and was excited and eager to begin my training.

Why Central?

I chose Central due to wide range of styles we are trained in, allowing us to become well-rounded and versatile dancers, best preparing us for the industry. Central provides us with a wide range of performance opportunities, the most important one being the chance to perform in the Ballet Central Tour. Central also has such a supportive and welcoming atmosphere, and you become part of a family, creating friends for life.

Has it been hard work?

The training has been fun and enriching, as well as difficult, but it has been extremely rewarding. We begin every day with a ballet class, and the rest of the day will consist of a combination of rehearsals, contemporary, repertoire and pas de deux (partnering) classes. We typically rehearse for the Ballet Central Tour for an average of 20 hours a week, Monday through Saturday, sometimes having three separate rehearsals in a day. My three years training at Central have taught me so much about becoming an artist and about myself. It has taught me discipline, resilience, and the importance of dedication and I have developed a deep sense of self-expression and teamwork. My time at Central has been so rewarding and I am so grateful for everything it has given me.

Foyer de danse
Foyer de danse

So, what’s next for you?

I hope to join a ballet company and perform lots of the traditional ballet repertoires, I would love to perform the role of Aurora from The Sleeping Beauty, as it was my favourite ballet I grew up watching. I am inspired by companies such as the Dutch National Ballet and Les Ballets de Monte-Carlos and love the work they perform. Central has also prepared me to go into other contrasting genres of dance, such as companies like The Radio City Rockettes – I am captivated by the upbeat and energetic way they perform and would one day love to perform similar styles as well as ballet.

Tell us more about the roles you are dancing and the pieces at the Spring Festival.

We will be performing a diverse range of pieces, with something for everyone to enjoy. We’ll bring Sir Fredrick Ashton’s Foyer de danse to life, inspired by Degas’ famous drawings.

Kristen McNally’s FEAST will create a fun, vibrant society on stage. Dickson MBI’s piece Rise shows unity and strength, creating a powerful energy together. Finally, we’ll perform a contrasting piece by Thick and Tight called Keeping Up with the Apocalypse, which is full of character and one we absolutely love performing. We hope everyone enjoys it as much as we enjoy performing it.

Are you excited to be performing in your home town?

I am really excited, as it’s where my dance journey began, and it means a lot to me that I will have friends and family supporting me in the audience, just like they have supported me throughout my whole journey to here.

Liv Hayes
Liv Hayes

The company

Curated by artistic director Kate Coyne, who trained Royal Ballet School and London School of Contemporary Dance, this tour is a fresh, fearless showcase of the next generation of professional dance talent.

Ballet Central was created in 1984 as the touring company of Central School of Ballet to give graduating students professional performance experience. The programme is formed around Ballet Central’s relationships with leading choreographers and provides the opportunity for students to experience performance in front of a ticket-buying audience.

Central School of Ballet is the only professional dance training school in the UK providing this experience on such a scale. Many of his year’s company of young dancers will be making their debut on a professional stage.

The annual tour offers audiences across the country the chance to see the company’s young and dynamic dancers showcase choreography from current industry professionals alongside newly commissioned work and refreshed classics from the world’s top choreographers. Performing on tour over three month is enriching for the students, enhancing their skills and development, making them particularly employable.

Populated by the final year students of the BA (Hons) Professional Dance & Performance degree, joining the Ballet Central company forms a core part of the course and, most importantly, supports graduate employment.

Ballet Central graduates go on to dance in companies including English National Ballet, Northern Ballet, Matthew Bourne’s New Adventures, Scottish Ballet, Ballet Black and Rambert Dance Company, as well as international dance companies across the globe.



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